stocker



(No Model.) I 2 SheetsSheet 1. W. ESTOGKER.

ELECTRIC METER. 293,315. Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

W/T/VESSES: 1715i, INVENTOI? I ATTORNEY.

N, PETERS. FhnXo-Lilhflgrapher, Washinglun. D. c.

ELECTRIC METER.

Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

INVENTORI WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY,

n PEYERS, mummy Wadu'mslon. an

v "1 Ururnn \VILLIAM F. STUOKER, OF BU BTON, KANSAS, ASSIGNGR OF OFF-HALF TO WVILLIAM OSCAR .IJN AFSDALE, 3F SAILIE PLACE.

ELECTREQ it? ETER.

ESPEQIPICA'I'ION forming part of Letters "5 tent No. 398,815, dated 'rlovember 20, 1888.

Application tiled May 16, 1838. Serial Xo. 274,033. (3'0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIAM F. Strocrtnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burrton in the county of Harvey and State of Kan- 5 sas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Meters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, cl ar, and exact description of my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which IO it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is concerned with providing novel apparatus for registering the consump; tion of current in an electric circuit. The up paratus includes besides the devices for indirg eating the consumption,other devices for showing the actual number of amperes in the circuit at any given time. I also combine with the device above mentioned means for cutting out the lamps in any subscribers circuit whenever the clock which controls the registering apparatus runs down or stops from any other cause, so that it will be impossible for him to consume current without a registry being made.

In carrying out my invention I make use of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my meter, together with a diagram of the circuits; and Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate modifications.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is a dynamo electric machine or other generator of electricity, and B B are incandescent lamps in the circuit of the generator. In the same circuit is a pair 5 of solenoids, C G, anda pair of mercury-cups,

D D, connected by a fork on the end of the armature E of the magnet F. hen one or more lamps are cut in, the circuit is complete over the course described. The solenoids C O are elongated, as shown, and their cores 0 G are connected by a brass rod, G. To the rod itself is swiveled an angular lever, II II H rigidly secured to a rotatable shaft, These parts, together with the rest of the meter apparatus, are all supported upon asuitable base. The arm 11 of the angular lever extends upward into a position where it may traverse a graduated scale to indicate the current flowing in the circuit. A pivoted segment, I, is secured to the shaft in a position to engage with a rack-bar, J, as shown. The rackbar is supported upon one or more rollers, and has a swiveled connection with an extension, J, which isjournaled in a bearing, II, This cxtension carries a disk, L, the ed e or periphery 5 5 of which is roughened, for purpose that will presently be explained. A drum, M, and a pinion, N, are also mounted upon the extension J, in such a manner as to admit of the extension being moved independently through them in longitudinal direction; but owing to a tonguc-andgroovc connection between them and the extension the latter cannot be rotated without carrying them with it. The pinion N engages withacorresponding pinion connected with an ordinary registeringmetcr, Ssuch as is us d, for example, for a gas-meter. The drum feeds forward a strip of paper, O, marked off into spa es, as shown, each space representing one ampere of current. The arm II of the angular lever, when no current is on, is held down by weight, I.

Behind the disk L is a mug" cued disk, Q, on a shaft which is operated by suitable clockworlr mechanism. The cislrs L and Q are located at right angles to each other and their adjacent surfaces are in contact. The disk Q is kept in constant rotation by the clock-work. When there is no current on line, the periphery of the disk L is in contact with the center of the disk Q, and consequently it does not retate with it. If, however, the first-named disk is moved to one side of the center of the other, the rotation of the latter will cause the former also to turn. Now, the weights of the solenoid- 8 cores, the angular lever, and th part P are so related that in the absence of any current on line the parts occupy the position shown in Fi lthat is, the cores are both at their highest limit and the disk L is stationary. When in this position the cores or their masses are above the centers of the solenoids. Suppose now that the lamp-circuit is completed, the cores will be drawn in and the toothed segment will be turned, carrying forward the rack and its connected parts. By this operation the disk L will be carried outside the center of the clock-moved disk and will be rotated, together with the extension J. This will cause the strip 0 to be unwound the distance of one space for every ampere of current.

In an incandescent system we may assume IOO that within certain limits the disk L will be moved one-eighth of an inch from the center of the co-operating disk every time an additional lamp is switched in. In that'case the disk L will be rotated twice as far when two lamps are in circuit as when one is cut in, and so on. In other words, the extent of rotation of the disk L or the drum M will be an exact measure of the amount of current used within a given period,whatever variation there may have been during that period in the number of lamps used. In making out a bill to a customer it is only necessary to tear off strip 0, which will indicate the amount of current used since the last bill was rendered. At the same time it is evident that the pinion N, acting through its corresponding pinion on the meter S, has made a separate registry, to which reference can be made.

The clock-work which runs the rotating disk is shown at W in Fig. 1. It is provided with a governor, V,which,when the clock is acting, operates through a shaft, '0, upon a contact spring, 20, in such a manner as to push it away from a corresponding contact, w. These contacts form the terminals of a circuit extending from the generator through the electro-magnet F and through incandescent lamps Y Y. These lamps are used as resistances to limit the current in this circuit. When the clock runs down, this circuit is closed and the generatorcurrent actuates the magnet F and lifts the yoke or fork on the end of the armature E out of the mercury cups. This main circuit is broken and the lights are extinguished. In this way it becomes impossible for a subscriber to use the main circuit except when the apparatus is in operative condition for recording the extent of use.

A Valuable feature of my invention is the use of one or more lamps, YY, for the purpose designated. I may connect up more than two, if desired or necessary, in order to modify the current of the dynamo and adapt it to the service for. which I desire to use it. This is a featurewhich maybe applied in other connections besides that shown.

In Fig. 2a modification is shown,such modification consisting, mainly, in the substitution of a pencil and pencil-holder for the disk apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The rack-bar J is connected directly with a pencil holder, Z, which carries a pencil, a. The holder is mounted upon a frame, X, so as to have longitudinal movement thereon. The pencil plays along the surface of a drum, which carries a sheet of paper or any other suitable material marked off into spaces. The longitudinal spaces represent amperes,while the horizontal spaces represent the distance through which the drum moves during any given period, as one hour. It is of course understood that the drulln is kept in rotation by suitable clockwor r.

In Fig. 3 still another modification is shown. In this instancethe disk Q is replaced by a conical drum, Q,and the disk L is moved farther and farther from the point of the drum as the current on line increases. The cone is so arranged that one of its sides is horizontal, so that when the disk L moves to the right the friction will not be increased, but its speed of rotation will' be altered.

WVhile I have shown my apparatus adapted to use for registering the consumption of current in an incandescent-light circuit, yet the same apparatus may be easily adapted to do service in other circuits, such as arc-light circuits. Owing to the solenoids being elongated, I am enabled to get the full effect of the winding. Thus with the same number of turns of wire I keep them nearer the core and so secure better results. dividing the solenoid instead of making it in one with a single core-that is to say, the resultant or combined pull of the two solenoids is stronger than the pull would be if the same amount ofwinding were upon asingle solenoid, thus making the meter more delicate. It follows, then, that the delicacy of the instrument may be still greater increased by increasing the number of solenoids and retaining the same amount of winding. For instance, if six hundred turns were wound upon two solenoids, the delicacy of the instrument would not be so great as it would be if three or more solenoids were wound with the six hundred turns. It will be understood that if three or more solenoids were operated they would all have to be connected with the arm of the bent lever.

It will be understood that the disks L and Q may be provided with any friction surfaces-such as rubber or other material-if desired. I prefer, however, to roughen the edge of the disk L and give to the face of the other disk a surface of rubber.

It will be observed that the weighted arm of the angular lever is arranged in such a manner that any motion imparted to it by the movement of the cores changes the direction of the pull of the weight with respect to the lever, so that the nearer the weighted arm approaches the horizontal the stronger will be the pull. In this way the weighted lever becomes a self-adj usting counter-balance, varying with the varying pull of the solenoid. The delicacy of the balance is increased by making the weight pendent rather than a rigid weight.

Having now described my invention, I claim- 1. In an electric meter, a solenoid and a frictioirdisk connected with the core thereof, the said friction disk co operating, as described, with a corresponding disk which is moved by clock-work, and the shaft of the said first-named disk carrying a drum which feeds a strip, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric meter, a solenoid and a friction-disk connected with the core thereof, the said friction disk co operating, as described, with a corresponding disk which is moved by clock-work, and the shaft of the said first-named disk carrying a drum which I also getimproved results from feeds a strip, and also carrying a pinion which engages with a pinion controlling a mechanical register.

3. The combination, with an electric generator, of electric lamps in the circuit thereof and an electric meter in the same circuit, the said meter acting through mechanism controlled by clock-work, oi'a shunt or short circuit including an automatic circuit-breaker operating on the circuit first described, the said shunt or short circuit being kept open when the clock-work is in motion, but being closed automatically when the clock stops, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an electric meter, a plurality of solen oids having their cores rigidly connected together, but magnetically insulated from each other, in combination with registering apparatus controlled by the movement of said cores, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM F. STOCKER.

itnesses:

WM. A. ROSENBAUM, F. O. GRUEN. 

